One more thing—after you fix this problem, stop blaming yourself for what happened six months ago. You made a mistake. You handled the fallout. Now get over it and get to work. The family needs you. So does the company. There are a lot of people depending on you.
Twenty-Six
Sophy did something to thecrystal. The hologram winked out.
Luke contemplated the empty space where the ghostly image of Deke had been a few seconds earlier, silently running the new data points. After a couple of minutes he realized that Sophy had not spoken. He looked at her. She was sitting on the hassock, stroking Bruce, who had his head on her knee. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“What is it?” he said, unsure how to handle the situation. “Are you okay?” Stupid question. She was not okay.
“They’re both gone, aren’t they?” she said, sounding numb. “Hatch and his gang murdered them. We’re too late.”
He tried to think of a way to soften the obvious conclusion, but inspiration did not strike. “It’s possible.”
She closed her eyes. Tears slid down her cheeks. Some of them landed on Bruce’s head. He pushed more heavily against her. For a beat Luke stood very still. He wanted to take her in his arms but he was not sure if she would welcome comfort from him. Hell,maybe she blamed him and the entire Wells family for putting Bea in harm’s way.
Feeling helpless, he grabbed some tissues off the dressing table and thrust them into Sophy’s fingers. Without a word she gave him the pyramid crystal and took the offering and blotted her eyes.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I realize you lost your uncle, too. Your poor grandparents. They’ve lost a son. I can’t imagine—”
He gave up trying to resist the impulse to hold her. He set the crystal on the table and reached down to grip her shoulders. She did not try to draw back when he pulled her close. Instead, she sobbed into the fabric of his shirt.
For a timeless moment he held her, and while he did, he found himself contemplating a couple of dots out on the psychic plane.
“You—we—should not leap to conclusions,” he said finally.
Sophy sniffed and raised her head. There were teardrops on the lenses of her glasses but hope sparked in her eyes.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Nothing has changed as far as the data is concerned. We just have more information now. Yes, it’s possible Bea and Deke didn’t make it out of the compound alive. But this is Deke Wells, action hero of the Agency, and Bea Harper, a woman with a talent for channeling crystals. They are smart people and they knew they were surrounded by danger. They would have had a backup plan.”
“They did. They left clues for us. We are their backup plan.”
“I’m not saying they’re alive, just that we can’t rule out that possibility. Deke has a talent for disappearing, and if he did go off the grid, he would have taken Bea with him. For whatever reason, they handed the assignment to us, and Deke made it clear we’re on a tight timeline.”
“You’re right—we have a mission.” Sophy sniffed, angled herchin in a determined way and took a step back. “We have to find the source of the unstable energy in the area and call in the Foundation.”
“There’s nothing more we can do tonight. It’s been a long day. We both need sleep.”
She glanced around. “Maybe we should take shifts so that one of us can stand guard at all times.”
“No need. We’ve got Bruce.”
Bruce’s ears twitched at the sound of his name.
Sophy smiled a little. “We do, indeed.”
“We’ve also got the latest in Wells, Inc. security tech,” Luke said. Relieved that she was no longer crying and hoping like hell that he had not given her false assurances, he went to his duffel and took out two small devices. “One for the balcony door and one for the front door. If anyone tries to open either, an alarm will sound and they’ll get a stiff jolt of electricity.”
“Good to know,” Sophy said. She looked weary but committed.
He contemplated the bed. They were two adults. A few pillows down the center would ensure they did not accidentally come in contact with each other during the night.
Unfortunately.
“Do you mind if I ask why your uncle thinks you’re reluctant to take control of Wells, Inc.?” Sophy asked.
The question caught him off guard. He had been focused on the sleeping arrangements. It took him a beat to recalculate.
